Corton
When someone puts a $500 bounty on intel about your new restaurant, you know that expectations have reached a fevered pitch. Now, wunderkind chef Paul Liebrandt finally unveils Corton, his modern French collaboration with omni-restautareur Drew Nieporent, located at the old Montrachet space. "Everything that's on the menu is pretty much local, and I'm using a lot more local producers than I have before." Liebrandt tells us. "Evolution-wise, the food is more focused, trimmed down and much more to the clarity of the dish." Unlike the chef's previous work at the three-starred Atlas and the luxurious Gilt, Corton represents a quieter, more astute approach for Liebrandt, but whose menu still exhibits his refined sensibilities: butter-poached wild striped bass with razor clam and pearl onion; uni crème with radish and Marcona almond. "Times change, I've changed, food has changed," Liebrandt says. "Gilt was very different to Atlas. [Corton] is very different to Gilt. Look at the space, look at the maturity of where I am now, and the food evolves completely." (239 W. Broadway at N. Moore St., 212-219-2777)
Kenny's Trattoria
Out of the ashes of Williamsburg's much-loved Brick Oven Gallery rises Kenny's, a casual Napoli trattoria from pizza master Kenny Perrone and three longtime neighborhood friends. Gallery's 100-year-old brick oven may have left the equation, but Kenny's menu is centered in the old world. Fifteen pastas, like homemade ravioli, are available daily, as well as entrees including grilled shrimp wrapped in prosciutto and steak pizzaiola. What does remain is Perrone's famous "Brooklyn caviar," which the inventor describes as a pureé of eggplant, fresh herbs, roasted tomatoes, olives and balsamic, served with flat bread. "Everybody loved that dish, so it had to stay," says the restaurant's namesake. Weekend brunch begins in a couple weeks, and a 75-person backyard becomes crucial in the warmer months. (7 Withers St. at Union Ave., 718-388-6588)
AQ Kafe
Think of AQ Kafe as a Scandinavian Le Pain Quotidien or a taste of the Ikea mess hall, less the annoying trek out to an industrial wasteland. This second incarnation of the cafe—the original was at the Scandinavia House—has opened around the corner from the Time Warner Center and features a menu of sandwiches and hearty plates steered by Aquavit charge Marcus Samuelsson (he's technically a shareholder, not the chef). The gravlax club is cured salmon, avocado and arugula on thick country bread ($12) and the Smorgasbord plate ($13) is truly that: a hearty sampling of herring, shrimp salad, meatballs, salmon and västerbotten cheese. Granola, baked eggs and Swedish pancakes round out the breakfast offerings. (1800 Broadway between 58th and Central Park South)
Ella
Nightlife entrepreneurs Darin Rubell, Josh Boyd and Jordan Boyd (whose other "Lower East Village" collabs include GalleryBar and Plan B) are the brains behind this bi-level piano bar and cocktail lounge channeling the glamour of 1920s Hollywood. And fittingly so: The space was designed by Joan Crawford's own interior designer, Carleton Varney. Upstairs, the emphasis will be on cocktails (like the $12 Plum Gin Fizz: muddled sour plum, gin, simple syrup and lemon juice), and the downstairs piano bar will sport a 40-seat performance space. Servers will be decked in ‘20s garb—"sexy but not costume-y," Rubell says—and the music will start in the ‘20s but stray toward the present. Bar snacks like cheese and charcuterie, Gus's Pickles and Greenmarket treats are available for the hungry drinker. (9 Avenue A at First St., 212-777-2230)
Also open:
Seven years is a long hiatus, but hey, better late than never: After shuttering in 2001, onetime Murray Hill spot Sonia Rose has now reopened on the Lower East Side, serving modern French fare. Chef-owner Gary Thompson plans to stage what he calls a "fall dinner theater series" in which a seven-course menu is "paired' with performances by students from schools like Juilliard, while spotlighting works from Lower East Side artists. Now this we gotta see to believe. (74 Orchard St. at Grand St., 212-260-5317)
You can never have too many Magnolia Bakery locations: The poster child for cupcake nirvana has spawned a new outpost, this one in a quaint brownstone in...Midtown. Takeout breakfast pastries are also available, such as blueberry crumb cake and poppy seed muffin. The shop opens on Monday. (1240 Sixth Ave. at 49th St., 212-767-1123)
Bust out the pedigrees: A former Gotham Bar & Grill general manager (Scott Carney) is behind Park Slope's Bussaco, a modern American restaurant whose chef (Matthew Schaefer) is a Le Bernardin alum and pastry chef (Deborah Snyder) hails from Lever House. Expect dishes like grilled beef bavette with braised sweetbread and yorkshire pudding, and Schaefer's version of chicken-and-waffles: buttermilk-marinated friend chicken with sourdough waffles. Bussaco opens on Friday. (833 Union St. between Sixth and Seventh Aves., 718-857-8828)
Additional reporting by Matt Rodbard and Edith Zimmerman. Photo by Sam Horine.
